Vintage Penn No. 79 Conventional Bay Reel

I found a Penn # 79 saltwater baitcasting reel at my dad's house. He is deceased, and I'm fairly sure the reel was never used. I spooled it up with Big Game 30 pound test. The reel was probably built in the 1960's. It's just a basic reel, no level wind. I mounted it on a cheap 7' MH long handled Rhino rod, and tried it out at a neighbor's pond. The pond is about 70-80 yards long and 40-50 yards wide. With a 2 oz sinker, I could cast to any point in the pond. BTW, I caught some bluegill and about a 1-1/2 pound channel cat while trying it out. :big_smile:

I didn't get a picture of my reel, but attached a photo I found on the net of a 1935 model. Has anyone ever used one of these? I think it would make a nice catfish reel.